Benny Safdie on The Curse | Episode 10
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
- Benny Safdie discusses episode 10 of his new Showtime series The Curse, an NYFF61 Spotlight selection, with FLC Assistant Programer Maddie Whittle. Learn more: www.filmlinc.org/series/the-c...
In this brilliantly discomfiting collaboration between Nathan Fielder (hot on the heels of his revelatory comic creation The Rehearsal) and Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems, NYFF57; Oppenheimer), Fielder and Emma Stone (La La Land; The Favourite, NYFF56) play Asher and Whitney Siegel, married entrepreneurs (don’t call them gentrifiers!) whose latest plan is to flip houses and convert them into eco-friendly homes for the struggling residents of Española, New Mexico-all for a home improvement-style reality show being overseen by an ingratiating producer (Safdie) with demons of his own. From this premise, which nimbly touches upon inescapable American issues of race, class, and capital, Fielder and Safdie branch out into an increasingly tangled network of ethical and moral gray zones, expertly balancing the tender and the merciless. Following the world premiere of episodes 1-3 at the 61st New York Film Festival, Film at Lincoln Center is pleased to present the remaining seven episodes from this genre-defying, riotously funny series, directed by Fielder and David and Nathan Zellner. An A24/Showtime release.
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![Eminem - Houdini [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/22tVWwmTie8/mqdefault.jpg)
I was waiting on this drop like its a new album
SAME haha
amen brother
Fr im so excited
same!!
Lol yepp
I really appreciate Benny Safdie for creating and explaining projects with a lot of artistic integrity without coming off as pretentious. Genuine auteur.
yeah he is awesome
I really appreciate your profile pic dude that's real
Underrated actor, too. I've really enjoyed all of his performances so far.
I think David Lynch is the same way. He'll answer questions but he won't give you the answer.
wym created? Safdie said himself it happened... Nathan is gone, well never see him again
SO nice of Nathan to call in from space, what an absolutely STAND-UP guy. =)
That was the most eloquent "I'm not gonna tell you why" I've ever heard
The most kind way too. Other directors would be assholes about it
I prefer to use a crowbar to open my drawers...
@@lonelyoneI'm a dynamite guy
There's no point in doing that. Just say that art has to speak for itself and shut up
Inspired by David Lynch
the doula telling her not to worry and that this kind of thing happens all the time was fantastic
I just want Nathan Fielder to say in his most deadpan delivery that he's moving up in the world
That is brilliant!
nothing i have watched has ever made me feel anything like this episode did. the genius behind making something this unique and textured and jaw dropping is just unfathomable to me. I was laughing so hard at Asher going "i just need to get unstuck" while literally lying on the ceiling and 3 seconds later i was back to "omg this is fucking horrifying". We need way more Benny and Nathan projects
Yeah I had one of the most visceral reactions to this piece of media since green room
He posted "green queen season 2" on his insta
It's one of those things any daydreamer has 'thought about' but no one in fiction ever brought that what if scenario to life. And in none of those what if scenarios do I imagine that solving the problem involves simply getting outside. In fact all of my scenarios involve never leaving the house for the rest of my life.
@@FartinHolesInMyUndies go figure they're both A24 productions
@@Stand_By_For_Mind_Control I think that is ultimately one of Asher’s many problems: Always thinking he’s in control of things. That’s why him rationalizing floating on the ceiling was so insanely funny to me; even in the face of a force that is so much greater than anything he’s ever seen he is still like “ah it’s probably just the wind”
lmao 'her cameraperson told me shes very busy'
Can you imagine if she watched only the last episode and was like wtf. Or actually maybe it would make more sense if you had no idea what else the show had been
I like hearing Benny talk about the show because he is very sincere and a deep thinker. Nathan always trolls, which is also fun.
Nathan's goofy but he's shared some pretty genuine thought processes in these panels.
Going to these screenings was a once in a lifetime experience for me. Benny is one of the most open, interesting and gregarious people I think I have ever met. He would stay for at least an hour plus after the proper Q&A to answer any questions that people didn’t get to ask in the theater. 22:30 I finally got to ask a question during the real Q&A! Thanks to FLC for hosting such an amazing show.
Your name is iwishtostayanonymous and yet you expose yourself and we all heard your voice! I will synthesize an ai voice to make you agree to bank loans have a good day lol
@@N8R_Quizziebased scammer
@@N8R_Quizzie Bruhhh
@@N8R_Quizzie Lmao
Wait did they do episode screenings and a panel every week in real time?!
This is like a politician dodging questions without actually answering but in this case he is doing it for a good reason.
Idk why people are so obsessed with the camera. Yes, it’s an interesting choice but it doesn’t NEED an explanation. I personally think it was just to add to the realism of the show. Like Whitney and Asher go “of COURSE I don’t believe in curses” in the first episode, then the reality of the pacing of the show and the camera are used to juxtapose the supernatural element of the finale in order to give it an even bigger impact. I think that’s all there is to it.
@@Bullfrog777Whitney never said she doesn’t believe in curses. She was taking it seriously
This was by far the most generous conversation between a filmmaker and his audience. Almost every question was so on point and every answer was measured and he never spilled over into spoilers that would ruin the personal journey of digesting the show.
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
Are you Bennie safdie posting this
'what does it mean to be yourself?' is the most central question of the whole series i think
episode 1 opens with Asher and Whitney talking, and before the first title card, Asher says 'we are not HGTV'
The final bit of dialog is by onlookers talking about how this was all for HGTV
Well clearly, nothing can hold Nathan down...
@@seithseith interesting! Thats a good catch!
@@billepperson2662suffering from a bad case of succes
Asher being sucked out of earth has been haunting me. I needed this closure.
...that's the closure. He's dead in space.
Closure? Lol
Asher's obviously been reborn as his own child @@tiben36
@paulatreides9096 Yeah closure. Or am I suppose to pretend that people wake up and get sucked into space all the time? Little explanation please...
That scene where Dougie was interviewing Nathan was really impacting and changing the whole mood of the series. It’s like comedy and cringe leading to horror and real
Yeah, I was like "damn, this is torture"
This series is one of the best works of art that I’ve ever seen on television. It’s a triumph.
The writing… performances/acting… the cinematography and music… and Emma Stone in particular is just… 🤯 Insane.
Just so, *so* good.
Benny is such a super passionate, friendly guy, it's infectious
TIMESTAMPS:
00:15 Rachel Ray and Vincent Pastore scene - How that scene came together?
2:24 How did you came up with the ending? (+ the value of getting to search for an answer)
4:58 Was the final supernatural scene always in your intention for the show?
5:32 Juxtaposition of surrealism/realism in the final scene + how did you direct that?
8:26 Choice and construction of the set
11:11 Duration of the final sequence + Emma Stone physical comedy
12:57 Dougie and Whitney emotional aftermath: was it intended from the beginning?
14:20 Nathan on Facetime
16:37 Dougie's reaction: what is going through in his mind?
19:12 Noticing/realizing stuff in post-production
21:42 Insights on Whitney staring directly at the camera
22:33 Is there a reason to Whitney not knowing Asher is gone?
24:19 floating camera at the end vs standard recording during the series. Why?
25:30 Was the initial "curse" connected to how the show ended?
27:05 What struck you the most out of the ten episodes?
30:19 Process in filming super-complex/long range shots?
32:52 Is there a moral to the whole story?
34:40 Hgtv relationship with family and being a parent
37:30 Cameras as characters and the mundane horror
Shout out to the guy who asked that last question. It was perfectly worded and it got a fantastic and revealing response from Benny.
Asher's getting a decent phone reception up there in the void
He seems truly nice and appreciative of fans of the show. That’s very refreshing.
I love the drawer analogy. We shouldn't have a simple handle, the process of discovery will reward our cognitive abilities and consider the contents of the drawer even finer.
I’m not sure I totally understood it. The contents of the drawer is the true “meaning” of certain things in the show or the show itself right? It didn’t make sense to me because it seems like then the contents of the drawer will not always be the same for everybody. Did I misunderstand?
@@sajking7269 well there is some amount of subjectivity, but it'll ultimately lead to the same things. It's like seeing a drawer full of different trinkets and knick knacks and asking people to describe it. There will not be 2 exact same descriptions even though they're seeing the same drawer, but also the descriptions won't be wildly different.
For the curse people have agreed upon a bunch of different meanings behind the ending which all seem to make sense, it's just not overt. The meanings that make sense are the ones founded on some sort of evidence which removes any bogus subjective opinions.
In summary, there is some amount of subjectivity in the fine details, but the objectivity of what's in the drawer is hard to misconstrue.
@@N8R_Quizzie I appreciate you taking the time to write out your thoughts on this! I like what you said about different peoples descriptions of what’s in the drawer being different but only to a certain degree as they are grounded (no pun intended) in the same reality. That makes sense to me and I feel like I understand the metaphor better now. I have definitely seen a handful of different interpretations of the ending that all feel right to me as they are all rooted in the overarching themes and plot of the show.
@@sajking7269 yeah man totally! The show is really cool and creative so that the ending is so crazy in that way!
This guy speaks very eloquently. Recently watched The Curse and shortly after Good Time. Big fan now and need to watch more.
Nathan for you is good
I wouldn't say "eloquently" as much as saying "this dude is blasted off coke"
I love love love what Benny says at 2:51. LEAVE US WITH SOME MYSTERY!!!!! I'm sick of contemporary directors and writers explaining absolutely everything to the audience. I can't wait to rewatch this show. On a first watch, I'd say it may be the greatest series since the Sopranos. Hope Nathan and Benny continue to create good and interesting things
I rewatched it and theres definitley new things to notice. I absolutely love this series and its very original. The show is very divisive, but I really love the route they took with the supernatural, so much more interesting approach this already bizarre show.
I initially watched it over 10 weeks, but it was way more satisfying to me rewatching it in a 9-hour binge. It just flows a lot better to me.
which directors explain everything to the audience?
The ending has stuck in my mind for the past few days. I hope it never gets truly explained.
It's not that crazy, rewatch the episode. Asher is the baby, the process is childbirth, the doula helps him out of the womb (house), and the branch is cut like an umbilical cord sending the baby to the world.
This interpretation is what signs of mental illness look like. To predict your response, my interpretation is that it's meaningless. @@ShpanMan
Nobody said it was crazy, i just said its memorable. The parallels between Asher and his child are obvious, whats less obvious is the connection between the themes of the show up unto that point, and the final scene.
He's just hanging on to all he has...which is himself. Hanging on for as long as he can. But he really doesn't have anything. He's entirely a vessel for others. No agency, no awareness...a product of his environment more than anything. Made to feel a certain way, made to be guarded over certain things, always trying to flatten himself further on the ground subconsciously. Never found it in himself to be more and always finds the worst ways to assert himself because he's been ruthlessly bullied into oblivion by people like Dougie just looking for the thrill and taking advantage of the lack of awareness. I think the beauty of the ending is that it comes after so much that you can't really boil it down fully. Yet it all works in harmony. The experience of it all, more than anything, is what makes it special. It's funny seeing the other reply being like "I mean it's just like...this simple". But Bennie says as much that it's up to the audience to figure it out for themselves. I, too, hope it never truly gets explained
@@jarg8beautifully said
I deal with agoraphobia and ep. 10 is an incredible encapsulation of what it can feel like to leave the house if you're dealing with that. You know it doesn't make sense, but you need people to trust that you're having a bad time and that you need their help. thankfully i have a more caring support network than Asher does!
Wow… what a beautiful piece of art. I know none of those that were involved will ever read this, but I really thought this show was near-perfect in the way it approached all the complex topics it covered, and I’m certain they’ve created a timeless masterpiece. Thank you for the passion and hard work you’ve put in!!
Benny Safdie is going to be soooo legendary I'm very excited to see everything he puts out
Only after watching this did I realise how good a performance he did as Dougie. He transformed from this nerdy restless guy into a charismatic manly rockstar and he made it look effortless.
@@valleyshrew charismatic manly rockstar? lmao benny in real life (and in this video) is leagues more charismatic than sad-sack dougie could ever hope to be.
Brilliant talk and a brilliant show. So happy that it exists. What a ride
So grateful to you and Benny for doing this
My jaw stayed dropped through the entire finale. An astonishing ending to one of the most inventive and hilarious shows I've ever seen. Bravo
"The process of trying to understand it, you understand more". Don't mind me I'm just writing that down so I remember it.
Asher to Whitney at the close of the penultimate episode, right before the finale and time-jump: "You don't understand. You haven't seen it yet, but, I'm a different man, I've changed okay? I feel it, we haven't talked about it, because there hasn't been a good moment, but, I'm all in on you okay? I'm all in on Whitney, whatever it takes, I'll do it and you won't even have to tell me anymore, because I know and I wont be guessing because I know you baby. And if you don't want to be with me, and I actually truly felt that, I'd be gone. You wouldn't have to say it. I would feel it. And I'd disappear." In the finale shes over him by the moment they wake up since Asher is flying away.
Bingo. Plus Asher notices his hand goes weightless during that scene and even mentions it before Whitney gives him some hope. He almost floated away then and there.
Holy crap, you just cracked in the code. You’re spot on
I do like that theory a LOT but how does it connect to the Curse element? Perhaps it's at that point that Asher curses himself. Or maybe Dougie was the one who was cursed as he alluded to in a prior episode and everyone he gets close to dies or goes away somehow. Either way the curse of Abshir's daughter is probably just a red herring. Actually hey, I like that 😄
@@LARathboneI think you're right, the curse from the title could either be the things you mentioned or it could be that Asher cursed himself with that speech (which you also mentioned). I think that one of the points of the whole show has to do with identity and what insecurity can do to it (in Asher's case his insecurity causes him to literally disappear). Hopefully, we get a second season and Asher can make good on his promise to come back as he's leaving the atmosphere. David Lynch must have loved that scene.
I was thinking something along the same lines. It’s almost divine intervention. Asher manipulates Whitney into staying with him but there’s a higher plan at play and the universe steps in with a drastic solution.
Series was brilliant in my opinion. Had so much David Lynch influence. I can't wait to see what Nathan and Benny do, together or separate, in the future.
David Lynch influence just means it's pure nonsense with zero direction and true crap. This show was better. David Lynch sucks balls
I didn't want strict answers about what the ending was about, but I was still eager to hear what the official comment was. This delivered, thanks.
I had lost hope that this video existed
i love them knowing this was always the ending. people hating and thinking this wasnt thought out at all are absolutley crazy!
ive been so hyped for this
The episode was incredibly unexpected!! Thank you for the surprise!
Watched the whole show in one sitting. What a wild ride. That ending is still messing with me. 10/10
Super excited to see this interview, wish I could have been there to ask questions!!
I could listen to him talk all day he's so entertaining
the shot whitney looks at the camera reminds me of that shot from Possession
You can tell Benny doesn’t want to explain the ending. And I agree with him.
Yeah I got the same inference from the fact that he literally explicitly said that.
Uh yeah...thus the "drawer with no handle" analogy at the beginning. Did you not get his point? He's telling the audience they need to figure it out just like they'd have to figure out opening a drawer with no handle
Falling into the sky is one of my phobias and this covered it perfectly.
Benny's insights about the camera i found the most interesting here. The floating shot of Española after Asher was gone, indeed it felt as if a weight had been LIFTED. And he said something along the lines of the camera and the town are one, when the characters think they are alone, the town is always watching, and i love that idea. Much like The Overlook Hotel in The Shining, the town is alive and it's eye is the camera. Amazing.
I wish Benny would have expanded on the Bearded Man in Abshir’s house. He brought it up so nonchalantly but it seems like there is much more to that moment that was left unsaid.
Yes I was waiting for more on that too
that was the moment that the curses fate was sealed
He "found" the camera. And why did he have no mouth?
I need to know!
I saw him/the whole family to be a red herring… they had nothing to do with the curse, the curse was created by Whitney and Asher. The guy was likely an innocent guy that was placed there to seem as though he’s taking their “free home” for granted.
one of the best finales iIve ever seen , tremendous show
The drawer analogy is so good
Very interesting talk, great finale!
Love watching these
Snap back to reality, ope, there goes gravity
i’m sure asher was a big eminem fan
Mom's chicken spaghetti
@@jeremyhopkins577😂
I’ve never laughed so much at something so uncomfortable and horrific, I kept feeling like I shouldn’t laugh during the last episode because I simultaneously had anxiety for Asher lol
I agree, I think thats exactly the point of the ending. It's not supposed to be funny, you're watching someone go through something traumatic and terrifying. He's literally breaking the rules of nature by floating away. At the same time, we've also watched Asher and Whitney gentrify a neighborhood which is something that happens everyday and despite how awful gentrification actually is, so many people treat it as normal. Same with the fact that the US is a country that exists on land that was stolen from people who are very much alive and still there, living their lives while people generally ignore them and accept that as normal. Which is the reaction that everyone but Asher and eventually Dougie have when its extremely clear that Asher is floating away towards his death.
This episode is one of the scariest things I ever seen
100% and Ive seen a lot of scary shit
Isn't that funny how our minds work? I am a huge horror buff. It's usually the simplest things that stick with us. The way the actors sold this scene of complete terror and confusion. Great stuff.
CZcams recommended this video before any others and I nearly got to spoilers!
35:00 "When you watch Flip or Flop, which is... One of the good ones... Heh." I think he realizes mid sentence how silly he sounds talking about HGTV. 😅 My mom LOVES all of those shows, it cracks me up.
4:43 perfectly said. Thanks for the ride Benny.
That last episode and that end sequence is the most powerful, most skillfully executed, most compelling, most brilliant etc. etc. TV (or movie) sequence I've ever seen. And I hated it!!!! I've never been more terrified or disturbed by cinematography, imagery, dialogue, etc. The best thing I've ever seen and it was so effective that I don't think I'll ever be able to watch it again haha. It's been almost a month since I watched it and I still think about it at least once every day.
What’s your interpretation?
Art is about asking questions, not answering them. The Curse definitely excels at that! There is no answer. For me, it was about Ash getting called up to space for the ultimate cuckhold.
Thank you Nathan Benny and Emma this show made my year
Dropped everything i was doing to watch this
I wish I had known this was happening !! Iconic
On a metaphysical, character analysis level this ending makes perfect symbolic sense
Please explain to me I have too many theories.
@@MatiasGeraldoThe2nd he fell up because of the curse.
You couldve just said "On a symbolic level this makes perfect sense" lol.
@@supernicral I’d have said “on an allegorical non-literal purely figurative level this makes perfect emblematic sense”
@@MatiasGeraldoThe2nd My interpretation was the child is essentially taking Asher's place, he was devoted to Whitney and pretty much just existed to be subservient to her as she's a self-absorbed egomaniac. Now that she has her child, she's gonna be a controlling mother who uses her son for attention and fame like how she used Asher, all just for serving her own means. Asher isn't need by her anymore so essentially cease to exist. It's also I feel a further extension of what Nathan was touching on in The Rehearsal, the idea of a neurodivergent socially awkward individual becoming a father, we see how much he struggles with human interaction so in a sense the ending can be seen as a metaphor for how he feels because of the way he is he fears he will never be able to form a genuine relationship with his son, and him floating a way is symbolic for him being an absentee or bad father. I just watched the finale last night and am still wrapping by head around it, I'm sure there's more to say but that's whats on the top of my head right now
Ever since i saw treasure planet as a lil boi the idea of falling up into the sky has been a spooky fear
Baby girl is allegedly filming season 2 of the rehearsal 😭
Benny safdie created an iconic character in dougie. I now refer to people i see out in real life like him as dougies 😅
FINALLY THANK YOU
Was anyone else getting the feeling the entire series that something huge was going to happen? I was waiting for it forever 😂 but I wasn't expecting that at the end obviously
Yeah, that was literally the point?
@@pitchen ok
@@pitchen can you elaborate?
@@irascib1e he was expecting something huge to happen and then it did.
There is a huge anxiety feeling building throughout the entire show and it never gets its pressure release until the very end when Asher goes poof.
05:17 - The whole entire reason I love Josh Safdie and Benny's work so much. They make you believe in things purely by THEIR own conviction.
That’s Benny Safdie😭
I don't know if you will see this comment Nathan, but the last episode of the show (and upon reflection every show you've made) actually sent me into a deep sadness. Asher is such a reflection of us all; a hybrid of good and bad behaviours, thoughts, feelings, intentions - the unavoidable afflictions that come with this confusion coupled with his unfair demise (whether it's losing his mind over the contradictions he lives or simply being chaotically subject to reversed gravity) feels like a hopeless ending to a common experience. I'm sure my perspective is just a projection but I've spent a good few days alone trying to process it. Your shows do this to me everytime, and as a result I keep in touch with Salomon every year for his birthday almost as a way of finding some kind of peace with myself and the feelings that your shows evoke in me. Anyway, this was weird but it's the internet, so stuff it.
I’m kinda bummed we won’t get more of these Q&As
It seemed to me as if it was an allegory for Asher unaliving himself and him hanging on to the tree was people trying to talk him down and he was trying to hang on by finding things that's worth living for, but deep down he feels like everyone hates him so he eventually just lets go and jumps
I wish I was at this. Great one.
i wonder what the "gentle pass" comment was at 25:09 , was it censored? or did the mic just not pick up what they said
Holy shit I thought this Dougie guy was just a character but that's literally this Safdie guy in real life.... Wow.
I think Asher percieved that he floated away when in fact in a sense he lost his mind as the baby was approaching. And Whitney perceived that he lost it completely and left them and she felt relief. Their relationship was a curse. I still havent worked out what the buncha abandoned cars meant for Dougie and how he percieved all of it but the regret was real.
It’s impressive that there’s nothing in the Q&A about the themes throughout the show. Gentrification, reality tv, real vs fake, social media, philanthropy, white savior complex, etc.
Watch/listen to the other Q&As, podcasts and interviews Benny,Nathan,etc have done
Shout out to Maceo Bishop. They set a new high standard for cinematography with the Curse!
You can tell Benny used to do stand-up. He has natural comic timing.
I’m just going to say it: The Curse was a masterpiece
Continually touching the bottom of his shoe and then his face. Other than that amazing show. Loved it!
"other than that" oh my god what a miserable person you must be
No one cares scumbag
To keep it greasy
I have to admit I thought I was going to be prognosticator king for a day when I predicted he murders the wife in the final.
I was so sure about it too lol. No, did not expect the anti-gravity ending BUT was not disappointed either!
when Nathan didn't answer and Benny's disappointment made me feel like we were still in the show and he was Dougie lol
"She was very busy" lol
Nothing makes more sense to me than Benny being greasy
17:00 oh my god I had completely forgotten about Dougie's role in his wife's death. How heartbreaking for him.
Right? This had been lingering in the back of my head the moment I saw Dougie break down crying. (I’m the guy who asked the question at 16:30)
very important, Dougie curses Asher for saying "Ask your wife"
Incredible finale! Terrifying.
Only now did I realize the tree branch could have saved him. If he crawled around and showed he couldn't fall off the branch without hands. I think the *gravity* of the situation would have come up...
Masterpiece
It’s really just the same esoteric message repackaged differently, like the end of 2001 and Stalker (which is ironic considering we are told they oppose each other and yet they actually lead to the same thing) similar tropes being played out and quantified through excellent and profound filmmaking. I’m just saying at the very core, it’s dangerous. All my love to you Benny but… *I know* ❤
Love you guise!
YOOOOO IT'S HERE FINALLY! this is my favourite show now. i usually watch a lot more movies than tv but i loved how much time the characters had to bounce off each other here. i feel like i should watch more now. does anyone have any similar recommendations?
Maniac, Twin Peaks, Devs, Beef, Nathan for You. Thank me later.
@@benanas09 maniac really is underrated
if you want another Nathan Fielder show, The Rehearsal
@@benanas09 man twin peaks the return is the only thing that gives me this sort of feeling watching a show. just feels like the characters get so much space to breathe in both series. but tytyty ill try maniac first i think
@@ambylam ill give it a try thanks
anyone have video of outside afterwards?
The ending reminded me of Stephen kings novel the ending elevations
its like that rollie pollie ollie episode upsidowners where gravity gets reversed and the dad almost falls upwards off the earth
so good
essa série foi crazyyy, dronto
IMO the moment Asher told her that he was giving the house away Whitney knew she didn't want him around anymore which precipitated him floating away the next morning (I think).
Look at this engagement
What did he say after in the hall????????
the guy in Abdi's house, this is actually the most curious thing to me still.
I think he was subletting the house out from under Asher.